


Join the Military

by baekingneeds



Series: 12 Days of Chanbaek Christmas 2017 [6]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-24 02:08:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13203498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baekingneeds/pseuds/baekingneeds
Summary: Chanyeol was an Air Force Pilot who was currently out-of-commission and part of a fair to encourage bright-eyed young men to be part of the military. Baekhyun was a bright-eyed young man at the fair not to join the military.





	Join the Military

**Author's Note:**

> I'm getting a few more DMs and you're all so sweet ;A; thank you so much for all your kind words! They really motivate me to keep going and try to become a better writer! I still have a long long way to go but I'm working on it <3
> 
> [Tweet](https://twitter.com/baekingneeds) me if you enjoyed reading this or slip into my DMs or just let me know because they make me really happy!!  
> Also, I'm thinking of doing something for the end of 2017 for my readers so like this [Tweet](https://twitter.com/baekingneeds/status/947123961455718400) if you want to know about any of my on-going (fics that I'm already writing) or upcoming (fics that I plan to write in the future) fic!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> xoxo

When Chanyeol had first joined the Air Force, he had told himself that he was going to be the best fighter pilot ever. It had been his dream to be a pilot since he had been a child. Be it a commercial pilot or a fighter pilot, he had been okay with either occupation. All he wanted to be able to do was to fly freely in the sky and see the clouds as he soared through them.

Becoming a fighter pilot was one of the best things Chanyeol had ever done in his life and he may not be the best, but he was rather good if he said so himself. Unfortunately, his mother had been constantly worried since the day he had applied to join the Air Force. Even before he had gotten accepted, his mother had already advised him to quit. When he had gotten in, he hadn’t told his mother about it straight away, afraid that she would take the opportunity away from him. But alas, his mother had found out and she had begged him not to go but eventually, she had accepted his decision and had sent him off with teary eyes and a load of farewells.

Ever since Chanyeol had joined the Air Force, he had contributed a lot and he was honestly proud of all that he had achieved. Too bad all good things had to come to an end.

Just a few months back, Chanyeol had injured himself while piloting his plane. The system had failed unexpectedly and he had crashed during an air drill. Luckily, it was nothing fatal, but it had injured his hand, making him unable to pilot a plane for a few months. That had left with almost nothing to do at his old post so his superiors had no choice but to transfer him away. Everyone had been sad to see him go and Chanyeol had been sad to leave but it was for the best.

It had been easy for Chanyeol to fit in the new unit. There wasn’t much to do, mostly paperwork and administrative things and to say that he missed the thrill of swooping through the clouds would be an understatement. Thankfully, his new colleagues were all very pleasant. For Chanyeol, he had always found it easy to make friends so it hadn’t been a problem for him anyway.

The desk job was fine and Chanyeol had gotten used to it rather quickly. It was his new job and just because he wasn’t flying a plane for the time being, it didn’t mean that he was going to do a bad job. He was still going to do his best and put his one hundred percent into it, like everything he did. Still, that also didn’t mean that he found reading documents and keying in data was interesting.

So when the Officer had asked for volunteers to participate in a special parade to encourage young men to join the army, Chanyeol had been the first to put his name on the list. He hadn’t even read the details or know anything about the job scope. But hey, it was a parade. How boring could it be? Beats a desk job any day. Besides, a parade meant that Chanyeol could show off his good looks and why would he say no to that?

On the day of the event, Chanyeol had woken up early to groom himself and straighten his uniform. If he was going to show the public what the army was made of, then he was going to do an excellent job.

He arrived at the place early. The parade was being held outside a big shopping mall which had a large empty square in front of the building. Banners were already up and there were a few other uniformed men gathered around the area. Looked like Chanyeol wasn’t the earliest soldier to arrive.

Grinning, he straightened his back and marched straight to the officer he was reporting to. It was his direct superior at the office, Kim Minseok, and they were rather good friends.

“Reporting for duty!” Chanyeol saluted Minseok who mirrored his action before he gave the signal for them both to stand at ease.

“It’s all going to be very informal today,” Minseok informed him with a wide smile. “You guys are just going to march for a short ‘parade’.” He used his fingers as inverted commas and Chanyeol laughed, nodding at the instructions. “Then afterwards, you all will be minding the booth over there.” He pointed to a big white box that had tables and chairs inside, promotional posters for the army lining the wall. “That one’s for the Air Force and since you’re a pilot, you should know what to say.”

It sounded like an easy job. All Chanyeol had to do was march around in his uniform and do some cool rifle tricks maybe (not) before entertaining the public with any questions they had about joining the military. The thought of prospective young men gathering their courage to approach any one of the soldiers, showing an interest to join made Chanyeol grin. He remembered attending a similar event prior to joining the army and how he had aspired to be like one of the men in the uniform. Now he was one of them.

Minseok patted his shoulder encouragingly before sending him a grin and walking away, probably to settle his other duties.

Chanyeol looked around the area, wearing his brightest smile. The cold December air was harsh and chilly that day though thankfully it wasn’t snowing. But it was a nice change of scenery for Chanyeol who was cooped up in an office all day tying on the computer or reading and arranging forms. It was nice to be outside.

On top of that, since Christmas was coming, there was a gigantic Christmas tree just right outside the mall, occupying the space that the military event wasn’t using. It had sparkly and colourful ornaments all over it, ranging from silver bells to a variety of present boxes and Chanyeol could also see strings of wire wrapped around the tree in an artful manner that was sure to look pretty when they were lighted up. Of course, there was the large golden shining star right on top to tie the knot of a beautifully-wrapped present.

The shopping mall was decorated too. From the entrance, Chanyeol could see a large wreath decorated with blue and silver balls. White ribbons also hung from the ceiling to make it looks like it was snowing. All in all, the outside of the mall looked decent. At least Chanyeol thought it did.

He heard someone calling him and he jogged over quickly. Checking the big clock situated right in the middle of Christmas tree, Chanyeol knew that the parade was going to start soon and he needed to prepare.

Without realising, a small crowd had already gathered around their makeshift stage, which was basically just the open space and the ground. This was going to be fun.

 

The parade went smoothly without a hitch and Chanyeol was ecstatic with how it went. They had had rehearsals but nothing could beat the real thing. People who had been watching the parade had whipped out their phones to take photos and videos. Camera flashes blinded Chanyeol once or twice but he didn’t let it affect his performance.

Now he was taking a short rest inside the small room for authorised personnel at the Air Force booth. Taking a small peak outside the door, Chanyeol was elated to see that a crowd had gathered. He also just noticed that there were some pilot uniforms on display while others were hung on a rack. They were probably for people to try on and take some photos. Chanyeol could see the rationale behind that. The uniforms were cool.

As Chanyeol was about to leave the rest area, he spotted someone in the crowd. It was a young man with ash-grey hair, so light that it looked almost white. While his hair stood out, it was really his face that caught Chanyeol’s attention. Soft cheeks and a sharp jawline, along with an adorable little button nose and rosy pink lips, Chanyeol was entirely captivated by the stranger. He was wearing a pair of extremely tight ripped jeans that showed parts of his knees and upper thighs and Chanyeol couldn’t help but stare at the tiny bit of skin revealed. Though he was also thinking that the man should be wearing warmer pants during winter. His shirt was fine though. It was a white wool sweater with little patterns on it. On top of the sweater, the man wore a chestnut-coloured coat that looked quite fancy and Chanyeol found himself appreciating the stranger’s taste in clothes.

Their eyes met suddenly and Chanyeol started to panic internally but he was unable to take his eyes away from the beautiful man.

Eyes widening, the man stared back at Chanyeol in confusion before his lips pulled up into a small smirk and Chanyeol decided that it was time to stop resting and start talking.

Clearing his throat, he stood up and saw the stranger’s eyes grow bigger in surprise and he briefly wondered what the man was so shocked about before he concluded that it was his height. Straightening his uniform, Chanyeol cupped his hands together and blew at them before rubbing them to keep warm, then he was out of the ‘hiding zone’.

As soon as he walked out, a horde of girls flocked to him and he startled for a moment before he realised that they all had their phones out and waving them in his face. So they all wanted a picture with him. He could do that.

Looking smug, Chanyeol kindly told the girls to form a straight line and take turns to have their photo with him. He felt like a celebrity. Looking around, he saw that his fellow colleagues were too being asked for their pictures. That was the moment Chanyeol realised that whoever had selected the soldiers to participate in the parade had only chosen the good-looking ones. A part of him felt proud of himself but the other part felt sorry for the others and he grimaced at how even the military was so superficial.

Being a celebrity wasn’t all that good, Chanyeol concluded after he had his twenty-third or was it the sixth photo taken. Smiling so much was tiring. While Chanyeol was one to always have a smile on his face, posing for a camera was an entirely different story and the more photos he took, the more he felt like his smile was starting to look forced. It was a good thing that the line was growing shorter and shorter.

Suddenly remembering the beautiful stranger from before, Chanyeol scanned the area but he couldn’t see the other man anywhere. A wave of disappointment rushed over him and he wondered why he was so affected. This wasn’t the first time he felt attraction to a male. He had been interested in a few guys over the last couple of years but being in the military made it difficult for him to come out with his sexuality. Not that he was gay because he was attracted to females as well. So he considered himself bisexual really, not that it made any difference since he was in the military.

“You look constipated.”

The new voice snapped Chanyeol out from his thoughts. When he looked at the person standing in front of him, he took a step backwards and nearly tripped because of his uneven footing, but he managed to hold himself up at the last second. It was the man he had been staring at before. Judging by the small smirk on his face, he probably figured that Chanyeol was about to fall.

Frowning, Chanyeol thought about the stranger’s comment. Constipated?

The stranger waved his hand at his face. “Your smile. It looks forced.”

So it was indeed starting to look fake. Chanyeol started to feel bad for the last few girls who had their photos with him.

But wait a minute. _Why_ was this man standing in front of him when it was clearly a line to take a picture with him?

“Do you…” Chanyeol didn’t finish his sentence as he squinted his eyes at the man who was smiling back at him brightly with his phone in his hand.

“Want to take a photo with you?” He waved his iPhone of Chanyeol with a chuckle that sounded way too cute. “Obviously. Why else would I be here?”

“You _queued_?” Chanyeol asked, not believing his eyes or ears. “To take a picture with me.”

The man shrugged. “Why not? You’re hot,” he admitted unabashedly, staring Chanyeol straight in the eyes and the pilot found his face turning red from the compliment. The man lowered his eyes to Chanyeol’s chest, making Chanyeol feel self-conscious. “Park.”

Looking down, Chanyeol saw that the other had been reading his nametag.

“Park Chanyeol,” he introduced without much thought and stretched out his hand.

“Byun Baekhyun!” the man answered chirpily and took Chanyeol’s hand in a firm grip. “It’s my pleasure to meet you, Sir.”

The title made Chanyeol choke and Baekhyun cackled evilly as he let go of Chanyeol’s hand.

“Just teasing,” Baekhyun said, a playful glint in his eyes.

“Right,” Chanyeol managed to say in between his coughing fit. His eyes were watering a little and he wondered just how much air went down the wrong pipe.

There weren’t any more people waiting behind Baekhyun and Chanyeol couldn’t help but wonder if the other man waited for the line to clear on purpose before approaching Chanyeol so that he could talk to him.

“So am I going to get my picture with you?” Baekhyun asked jokingly as he stood next to Chanyeol.

Chanyeol nodded quickly, maybe a little too quickly that made him look desperate.

Taking Baekhyun’s phone, Chanyeol swiped open the camera and was ready to change the camera face when he realised that it was already facing them. He saw Baekhyun smiling sheepishly from the phone screen and he grinned.

Baekhyun was much shorter than Chanyeol so the pilot had to bend a little to put an arm around Baekhyun to have their photo taken. He pressed the button a few times and was about to remove his arm and pass the phone back to Baekhyun when he noticed that the other made a funny face in the last picture. So he continued pushing the middle circle button as they both continuously changed their facial expression. On their final picture, both of them were laughing happily, their eyes squinted in mirth.

“There!” Baekhyun announced as he showed Chanyeol the last picture. “Your smile is back!”

Looking closely at the photo, Chanyeol saw that he was really smiling joyfully and he grinned.

“Send them to me?” Chanyeol asked offhandedly as he pulled out his phone.

“Asking for my number already?” Baekhyun replied swiftly and Chanyeol’s ears started to turn red.

“AirDrop,” he countered, waving his iPhone in front of the shorter male, making the other pout.

The pout was gone within seconds and Baekhyun nodded. “AirDrop it is then.”

It was Chanyeol who suggested it so he didn’t have any rights to feel disappointed that he wasn’t getting the cute guy’s number. What made his genius mind say, “AirDrop”? Usually he liked the function, finding it convenient and efficient for everyone to share photos. Currently, he wished that it didn’t exist.

“And done,” Baekhyun notified Chanyeol.

Soon, new pictures appeared in Chanyeol’s photo gallery and he smiled at the amount they had taken together.

“Park, do your job,” Minseok said from the side, appearing out of nowhere and scaring the wits out of Chanyeol.

“Yes, sir!” Chanyeol saluted Minseok and stayed in that position until his superior walked away.

“So what _is_ your job, exactly?” Baekhyun’s tone was mildly curious but the look in his eyes told Chanyeol that he really wanted to know.

Grinning, Chanyeol gestured to his uniform. “I’m an Air Force pilot but I’m kind of out of commission now because of an injured hand. So I’m mostly doing administrative work until I can fly again.”

“Are you pilots all this handsome or is it just you?”

“Excuse me?” Did Chanyeol hear correctly?

Baekhyun only gave him a cheeky smile in response. Chanyeol _definitely_ heard correctly.

“What are you doing here?” Chanyeol asked as he folded his arms and he noticed the way Baekhyun’s eyes followed the movement with his eyes.

Focusing on Chanyeol’s biceps, Baekhyun gave a small smirk before looking up to meet Chanyeol’s eyes. “Accompanying my friend.” He gestured to the side and Chanyeol looked. There was a man who looked about Baekhyun’s age and height who was engaged in a deep conversation with Minseok whilst occasionally glancing at Minseok’s muscles.

Chanyeol scoffed and fixed Baekhyun with a stare as the shorter smiled back innocently. “Are all your friends like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you.”

Gasping dramatically, Baekhyun’s hand flew to his chest. “I am offended!”

“Sorry,” Chanyeol rushed out quickly, panicking.

Baekhyun continued looking affronted for a few more seconds before he burst out into laughter. “Jongdae wants to join the army so I’m just being a good friend and supporting him by being with him here.”

Raising a brow, Chanyeol pointed to where Baekhyun was standing.

Letting out a soft chuckle, Baekhyun shook his head. “Here,” he said as he threw his arms wide to show that he was talking about the event. “Not like literally here-here with him. Someone interesting caught my eye.”

A small blush crept onto Chanyeol’s face and he tried to cover it up by faking a cough into his hand.

“So you’re not here to join the army?” Chanyeol asked.

“Nope,” Baekhyun answered chirpily as he stuffed his hands into his jeans pocket and again Chanyeol was reminded of how tight they were. He started bouncing on the balls of his feet for a while before stopping and it was an oddly endearing action to Chanyeol.

“Okay,” Chanyeol said with a nod. “I should go explain things to people who actually want to join the army or the Air Force then.”

It was Baekhyun’s cue to leave but he didn’t and Chanyeol was secretly glad that Baekhyun didn’t walk away. Though Baekhyun was looking at him expectantly and Chanyeol was starting to feel troubled because he didn’t know what Baekhyun wanted from him.

“That’s all?” the shorter questioned.

Nodding, Chanyeol repeated, “that’s all.”

Staring at Chanyeol, Baekhyun waited a few seconds before he shrugged and said, “okay.” Then he turned his back to Chanyeol and started to walk away.

“Wait!” Chanyeol exclaimed and Baekhyun turned around in slow-motion. “Wait, Baekhyun, wait.”

“Yeah?” Baekhyun asked casually as he walked the short distance back to Chanyeol.

Swallowing, Chanyeol pulled out his phone and stretched it out to Baekhyun. “I want your number.”

With a large grin, Baekhyun took Chanyeol’s phone and keyed in his number before handing the device back to the pilot.

“Call me.” He winked at Chanyeol before turning around and walking away again.

Watching Baekhyun leave, Chanyeol thought to himself that participating in the parade was a good choice. Looking at his phone, he smiled at the newly created contact that was saved simply as ‘Baekhyun’.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are appreciated!
> 
> Say hi to me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/baekingneeds)! I'm really friendly I don't bite lols
> 
> xoxo


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